The Untold Tale of the Non-Bender
by welcometoBangkok
Summary: Mako is a Non-Bender. His brother, Bolin, is an Earthbender. Mako's entire life is dedicated to protecting his little brother. Mako supports Bolin's probending career. Mako is even starting to fall for the Avatar herself. When Amon's revolution hits, the equalist all seem like crazy anarchists. But what happens to Mako when they start making a whole lot of sense.
1. One: Prologue

Three years ago…

The door in front of Mako opened with a screech. The young fifteen year old boy jumped at the noise. He had listened to nothing but the sound of his own pencil scratches for the past several hours. He lifted his golden eyes and immediately stood up when he realized who had stopped to pay him a visit.

"Mr. Zolt, sir," Mako addressed with a deep bow.

"Ahh, Mako. How's my little street urchin handling his new promotion?" Lightning Bolt Zolt asked with little interest. Without once making eye-contact with Mako, Zolt crossed the room and began shuffling through some files in the far corner. Several other big, burly men entered the room behind Zolt and followed suit. Mako remained standing and bowed to each one as they passed.

"I've always been able to hold my own with math, so running numbers has been a good fit, sir," Mako responded with over-emphasized optimism.

Zolt merely grunted and continued with his work.

"Hey kid," a tall Waterbender called.

"Yes, Mr. Shin?" Mako politely replied, still standing out of respect.

"If you're just gonna stand around all day you might as well polish up my shoes," Shady Shin said with a crooked smirk on his face.

Mako immediately grabbed the nearest rag and began to spit-shine the man's shoes until they sparkled.

"And while you're at it," a muscular Earthbender said, "you might as well take this coat to the wash."

The Earthbender took off the coat he was wearing and chucked it at Mako. It slammed right into his face before he could catch it and slid to the ground. The Earthbender laughed as Mako picked it up off the ground. He handled it gingerly, as if it were a new-born. Mako bowed his head in the affirmative.

"Alright, boys," grumbled Zolt, "Does anyone _else_ have a meaningless task they'd like to give to our non-bending friend here? Or can I have the kid get back to some real work now?"

The men looked down at the ground and shuffled their feet, giving no audible response.

"Alright then. I found what I was looking for," Zolt said, then promptly exited the room. The other men followed single-file behind him like baby turtle-ducks following their mother. Shady Shin was last in line, and on his way out he could not help but announce, "You better be sure not to step on any of our toes, Non-Bender. The only reason you're here is 'cuz of your Earthbender brother. We could kick you back out onto the streets before you could say 'Tui and La'."

Only when Shin had made his exit and slammed the door behind him did Mako retake his seat. He took deep, slow breaths to calm himself down. If he didn't control his desire to lodge his fist into Shady Shin's face then he would end up back on the street, with Bolin to boot. Eventually he calmed down and returned to his work.

_Would you look at that! Zolt raised his interest loan rate by four percent last week._

**A/N: Hey guys! This is a prologue, which is why the chapter is so short. Future chapters will be longer. This story is meant to be a little bit more political in the sense that it is going to explore the mentality of the non-bender Equalist. Do they have any standing? I would love to hear your opinions! Do you think the equalist made any sense or were Amon and his followers all a bunch of crazy anarchists? You tell me.**


	2. Two: The Pro-Bending Match

"Alright Bolin. The Tigerdillos are going to be your toughest match yet, but I know you guys can take them. They've got lots of stamina, but they've been known to press on firebenders the most. You won't be taking the brunt of the force so use that to your advantage. Be sure to defend your…Bolin? Are you even listening?"

"Yeah, lots of stamina, firebenders. I got this Mako! I just needa go take a leak real quick before the match. Le'me know how this match ends, okay bro?"

Mako rolled his eyes and grumbled a "sure". Bolin took off out the door of the locker room and hopefully towards a bathroom (as opposed to just using Yue Bay).

Mako took that moment away from his brother to just relax and watch the current probending match. For just that instant, Mako let himself forget that if Bolin lost this next match, they would be out on the streets again. He forgot that if they even made it to the tournament, they would have to ante up thirty thousand yuans for the cup. He forgot that they needed to win the cup in order to pay off the "personal loans" Bolin kept taking out for groceries.

Mako melted into his chair and enjoyed watching the Rabaroo's Firebender knockout the Buzzard Wasp's Earthbender, if just for a moment. His relaxation ended when a pair of fur-clad legs strolled into his field of vision.

"What do ya think?" Mako heard Bolin ask the pair of legs, "Best seats in the house, huh?"

"Woah! Unbelievable! This place is even better than I imagined!"

The deeply tanned girl proclaimed. Every set of eyes in the locker room were on this girl. The first thing Mako thought was that she had intoxicating sapphire eyes. After shaking himself out of it, he noticed her clothing. She was obviously fresh off the boat. Either Southern or Northern Water Tribe; Mako couldn't tell the difference. She stood proud and oozed over-self-confidence. He could tell that she was going to be trouble.

"Name's Bolin, by the way," Bolin introduced.

"Korra."

The last thing Bolin needed before a match was a new girl to distract him from the game. He was prone to becoming reckless whenever he tried to impress a pretty fan girl.

"Psst, Bolin!" Mako discretely called.

"Yeah?"

"I told you. You have to stop bringing your crazy fan girls in here before the matches. Get her out of here."

"Aww, come on Mako! Alright, look. I kinda promised her that she could stay. But man, I got a good feeling. There's something special about her!"

Before a response could be given, Bolin grabbed said fan girl by the arm and pulled her towards Mako.

"Come here, I want you to meet my brother Mako," Bolin said with pride.

Korra flashed a polite smile, "It's very nice to-"

"Come on Bolin, you're up," Mako interrupted, tossing Bolin his helmet. Mako got up from his seat, clapped Bolin on the back and muttered a "good luck, bro" before exiting the locker room. Mako preferred to sit with the spectators when he watched Bolin play, as opposed to the locker room. He liked having a bird's eye view so that he could properly analyze all of the Fire Ferret's plays.

It was a pretty standard match, each man fighting with everything they had. Things didn't start going badly until the third round when Hasook started getting too fancy. He dove into a roll in order to dodge an earth disk and slammed right into Bolin. Both were knocked out within seconds. Mako couldn't help but grunting audibly. Thank the spirits for the Fire Ferret's Firebender. He stayed cool under the three-on-one fire and wore the Tigerdillos out. He came back out fighting and won the match with a triple knockout. Mako made a mental note to congratulate the Firebending asset.

Mako rushed down the stairs and back into the locker room to meet the team as they came out.

"Woohoo, yes! One more win and we are in the championship tournament!," Bolin cheered before turning his attention towards the fan girl, "So what did you think Korra? Bolin's got some moves, huh?"

Mako rolled his eyes at Bolin's priorities.

"What did I think? _What did I think? _That was amazing!" Korra exclaimed, grabbing Bolin by the front of his shirt and throwing him back in excitement.

Mako turned his attention away from the two and toward the Waterbender that was now exiting the ring.

"You did more harm than good out there, Hasook!" Mako reprimanded.

"We won, didn't we?" Hasook responded defensively.

"Barely!"

"What do _you_ know? I don't see _you_ competing in the matches, so get off my case pal!"

Hasook exited the locker room, slamming the door behind him.

"Useless," Mako muttered to himself.

Mako turned his attention towards his now favorite Firebender and clapped him on the back. He was a sixteen year old boy with light brown hair and freckles splashed across his nose. Mako clapped him on the back.

"Nice work out there, Kai. You really pulled through for us," Mako told the boy.

"Oh, umm, thanks Mako," Kai said, surprised. Mako hardly complemented anyone.

Mako left Kai to start collecting his things – his playbook, his take-out boxes, etc. The next team would be coming into the locker room soon.

"You guys were incredible out there!" the fangirl Korra announced to the room, "I've been immersed in bending my entire life, but I never learned how to move like that! It's like there's a whole new style here! Think you could show me a few tricks?"

"Ab-so-lutely!" Bolin responded.

Mako was trying to ignore the conversation between the two, but he had to step in.

"Right now? Come on, Bolin."

Bolin turned his back to Mako. Mako quietly grunted to himself in anger, then turned his back on the pair. He _knew_ there was no way to talk any sense into Bolin when it came to girls (and food), so why did he even bother?

"Just ignore him," Bolin whispered to Korra, "Yeah, I could show you the basics. I'm just not sure how my Earthbending would translate to your Waterbending, but we'll figure it out."

"Won't be a problem. I'm actually an Earthbender," Korra replied with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, no, no! I didn't mean to assume! 'Cuz I, ya'know, I was just figuring… with your Water Tribe getup,,, that you are a... Water tribe… gal."

"Nope, you're right. I'm a waterbender. And a firebender."

Kai and Mako, who had both been packing away their things on the other side of the room, perked up.

"F-firebender?" Kai stuttered.

"Oh, spirits," Mako cursed to himself. He had to resist the urge to slap his palm against his face. So Bolin had been right after all: There was something special about this girl.

"Mmm. Mmm-hmm. I am very confused right now," Bolin admitted.

"You're the Avatar, and I'm an idiot," Mako announced with a tone of defeat.

"Both are true," Korra said. Her voice was snarky and her stance was over-confident. Mako knew this girl was going to drive him into insanity.

"No. Way. The _Avatar!_"

Mako did face-palm at that moment.

Kai took that opportunity to join into the conversation.

"So Bolin's gonna show you some Earthbending moves right now?" he asked her.

"That's right," Korra responded while Bolin nodded.

"Care if I join?"

A big, goofy smile spread across Korra's face.

"Of course not!" Korra declared, "The more the merrier."

Then she turned her attention towards Mako.

"Will you be joining us?"

Her voice lost the previous cheeriness and took on a sassier tone.

"No, I think I'm gonna turn in. You kids have fun. Nice to meet you, _Avatar_ Korra."

Mako grabbed his bag and took his leave.

**A/N: Alright, so I usually don't like when Fanfics just copy the script, but it fits in well with my story. And if I am going to do a few of the same scenes as the original, I might as well make it authentic. I promise that it will only be like this for the first couple of chapters. I just need to get to the Revelation. Please review, and as always, thank you for reading! Please excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes.**

**And for my analytical question: Amon. Obviously he had a troubling childhood. But how does a bloodbender of the highest degree end up becoming an advocate for Non-benders. If you think you know, have an opinion, or want to take a guess, please let me know!**


	3. Three: Those Moves

Korra entered the gym and immediately felt at home amongst all of the buckets of water and earth disks. She loved a good workout, especially when the workout did not involve Airbending. Or _trying_ to Airbend at least. She was pumped up and ready to show off her skills.

"Alright. Let's see what'cha got!" Bolin proclaimed.

Korra took a strong stance and let fly two earth disks.

"That was great! Good power! But in a real match, you'd be a sitting turtle-duck. Not so upright and flatfooted! Stay light on your toes, right up 'til the moment when you need to dig in and strike. Then… Pop! Pop!"

Bolin demonstrated. He hopped back and forth from one foot to the other until the final moment. He took a strong, but not so deep, stance and threw two disks into the net.

Korra got a new look of determination on her face.

"Okay, le'me try it again."

She repeated the exercise, copying Bolin exactly.

"Wow! Nice adjustment!" Bolin said with excitement in his voice.

"Not bad, Avatar! Now let's see what you've got when it comes to the most superior element," Kai challenged, a jokingly smug smile on his face. He took up a fighting stance and motioned for Korra to do the same. Her stance was very old fashion and ridged. He knew just what to do.

Kai let loose a few fire-fists to begin the duel. What he originally thought would be a quick match became lengthy and enduring. With each movement they made Korra began to catch on. She improved, becoming more flexible and versatile with every step.

Korra went in for a particularly powerful punch and Kai caught her fist in mid-air.

"Stop!" He puffed. His breathing was heavy from the workout.

Korra dropped her fist and retook a normal stance. She raised her eyebrows in a way that said, "Well?"

"You're a natural at this. The way you altered your fighting style as you went along. That was amazing!"

Korra smiled with satisfaction.

"Alright, alright. Enough Firebending. Back to Earthbending. Why don't you throw that combo one more time?"

Korra bounced around on her toes a bit before pounding two more disks into the net.

* * *

The night before, the Kai and Bolin had invited Korra to come to their next match. She was so eager and so pumped that she swam back to Air Temple Island as opposed to taking the ferry.

However, when she entered the locker room the next morning, the look on each of the boys' faces instantly wiped away all of her excitement.

"I didn't miss your match, did I?," Korra asked, "You guys look like you lost already."

"We might as well have," Bolin grumbled

"Hasook's a no-good no-show!" Mako complained.

A referee popped his head into the locker room.

"You've got two minutes to come out ready to play or you're _disqualified_."

He left as quickly as he came.

"Well there goes our shot at the tournament. And the winnings," Mako vented.

"Can't you ask one of those guys to fill in?" Korra asked innocently.

"Nah… The rules say you can only compete on one team," Bolin answered.

"Well then, how 'bout me? I'm a top-notch Waterbender, if I do say so myself," Korra offered, that over-self-confidence in her voice again.

Mako rolled his eyes.

"But, you're the Avatar. Isn't that cheating?" Kai questioned.

"It isn't cheating if I only do waterbending," Korra replied, a sly grin on her face.

"No way," Mako interjected, "I'd rather have you guys forfeit then look like fools out there."

"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence," Korra sarcastically responded.

The referee popped his head into the room again. Apparently it had been two minutes.

"Times up. You in or out?" he demanded.

"We're in!" Korra quickly announced before anyone else – Mako – could get their own word in.

"We are?" Kai asked.

"Yes!" Bolin cheered.

Mako pointed his finger at Korra accusingly and said, "Hey, I didn't agree to this."

"You can thank me later!" She said, already putting on Hasook's old gear. It looked much too big for her.

When the three benders were on the platform and moving towards the stage, Mako muttered to himself, "This girl is crazy."

To say that was the most unbelievable match Mako had ever seen would have been the understatement of the century. Upon the opening bell Korra made a fool of herself: She knocked the opposing waterbender over the side of the ring. Within another minute Korra stepped over the line and got herself moved back into zone three. Then, the worst mistake of all, she _Earthbent_ to defend herself when the other team ganged up on her. Of course she was knocked out of the ring shortly after she was permitted to continue playing. Mako even swore that he saw Korra yelling with Councilmen Tenzin after she crawled out of the drink. Inexperienced and distracted: a recipe for disaster.

Mako could not have face-palmed more in one evening. He was about to kiss the thought of competing in the championship tournament goodbye when something miraculous happened. During round three, Kai and Bolin got wedged into the corner of zone one, leaving Korra to fend for herself. She suddenly began moving differently than Mako had ever seen anyone move before. She rotated in tight circles, avoiding everything that was thrown at her. When the Platypus Bears ran out of energy, the Fire Ferrets were able to win the match with a triple knockout.

Mako was astounded. Korra was amazing out there.

The boys and Korra returned to the locker room via the moving platform, cheering loudly the entire way.

Mako high-fived Kai, gave his brother a clap on the back, and turned to Korra.

"Korra, what can I say?" Mako said apologetically and complimentary, "You _really_ came alive in that last round. The way you dodged their attacks…You _are_ a natural."

Korra smiled, the previous cockiness gone from her face. She was still breathing heavily and her hair was greasy and sweaty from her over-sized helmet. Still, every boy in the room could not take their eyes off of her.

"Thanks, but I can't take all the credit. Someone else taught me those moves."

The humility was refreshing. Mako had never imagined that Korra could have this side to her. He was impressed.

So as the three boys and Korra reviewed the match, cracked jokes, and cheered for their victory, each boy couldn't help but wonder what the future held for this particular girl.

**A/N: For those of you who like Asami, I'm sorry to say that she most likely won't be in this story. If Mako is a non-bender then he can't work at the power plant. If he doesn't work at the power plant then he can't get run over by Asami when he is trying to catch the bus. Anyways, thanks for reading and let me know how you feel about the story!**

**My analytical question of the day: How does Amon use bloodbending to take people's bending away? Does anyone have any idea? They never explained it in the show, and this is one that I honestly have no theories for. **


	4. Four: Practice Number One

Within the week Mako had gotten Korra a new, better-fitting uniform and had secured a time spot in the gym for the Fire Ferrets. The new gear was finally delivered, and Korra was able to join the boys for practice for the first time.

After some stretching to loosen their muscles, they began their workout by tossing a medicine ball back and forth. Mako was throwing the ball around with them. Korra figured that Mako was a non-bender – if he could bend she was sure that he would compete with his brother – but Korra wondered what he was going to do when they got to the bending portion of the workout.

Still tossing the ball back and forth, Korra complained, "What's the big idea making me train this early in the morning? The morning is _evil_."

"We're the rookies so we get the worst time slot in the gym," Bolin replied. A look that said he completely agreed with her was on his face.

"And you're the rookiest of them all," Mako stated.

"Yeah, Korra, we really need to get you up to speed if we wanna survive in the tournament," Kai added, matter-of-factly.

"Deal with it!" Mako said. He tossed her the ball with more force than necessary.

"You deal with it!" Korra retaliated. She chucked the ball back at him even harder. The impact caused Mako to fall backwards and hit the ground hard. Mako was about to yell at her when someone entered the gym. Mako got up and brushed himself off. It was Butakha.

"There are my little hard working street urchins. It's an honor to finally meet you, Avatar," Butakha said. He bowed in respect for Korra.

"And you are…?" Korra asked, slightly annoyed by the look of this man.

"Butakha. I run this whole pro-bending shebang," He said, tipping his hat. He tipped his hat to greet the others in the room, but hesitated on one person.

"Bolin. Kai…_Mako_…" He pronounced the last name awkwardly, as if he were uncomfortable saying it.

Butakha slowly turned to face Mako, as if it pained him to do so. He whipped out a wad of cash and handed it to Mako.

"Here's you winnings from the last match."

Mako brightened up instantly. He was about to put the money in his pocket when he was stopped.

"Ah ah ah, not so fast. First you owe me for the Avatar's new gear, gym and equiptment rentals from last month, rent on your apartment…"

With every item on the list Butakha took more and more money from the stack of bills.

"…and the personal loan for groceries."

With that last item, Butakha took the rest of the money. Mako shot Bolin a dirty look.

"What? I'm a growing boy!" Bolin said to defend himself.

Butakha turned his back to Mako and announced the rest of his business to the pro-benders.

"Oh, and one more small item of business. The Fire Ferrets need to ante up thirty thousand yuans for the championship pot."

"Thirty thousand yuans?!" Kai exclaimed.

"Sorry kids. You've got till the end of the week to come up with the dough or else you're out of the tournament."

Everyone was in shock. Each of them knew that there was no way that they could earn that much money in one week.

Butakha tipped his hat once more to his target audience.

"Goodbye, Fire Ferrets. Good luck and train hard."

The man began to make his leave, but before he took a step he turned to Mako and said, "And good luck with whatever it is you do."

He made his leave.

There was obvious tension in the air. Bolin, not knowing what else to say, tried for some comic relief. He turned to Korra.

"You wouldn't happen to have a secret Avatar bank account overflowing with gold, would you?"

"I got nothing," she responded, pulling out empty pockets, "I've never really needed money. I've always had people taking care of me."

Mako's already angry face got even more bitter: "Then I wouldn't say you have nothing."

Mako picked up the medicine ball and put it away inside a gym bag. Then he crossed to the other side of the gym.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to–" Korra began to say to Bolin.

"No, it's alright. It's just, ever since we lost our parents, we've been on our own."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

There was a moment's pause until Kai changed the subject: "So, _anyway_, how are we gonna come up with the money?"

"Oh, oh! I got it! I got it!," Bolin exclaimed, "I've been training Pabu to do circus tricks. Now people would pay good money to see that!'

"Come on, Bolin. We need _serious_ ideas," Mako commented. His tone was a bit harsh because of his foul mood.

"I _was_ serious," Bolin said softly. He looked down-cast because of the rejection.

"I've got some money saved up from working at Narook's," Kai offered, "And I could ask for an advance on my next pay check."

"How much would that be?" Mako asked.

"'Bout five thousand yuans."

"Alright, that's definitely a start," Mako replied. He thought for a few seconds, then just said, "Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out. I always do."

Mako walked away and began his own workout on the other side of the gym. The boys took that as their queue to start their own practice. They began by discussing common scenarios that occurred during a match, and showing Korra how to respond to them. They interlaced the demonstrations with information on the game itself: rules, fouls, etc.

During the workout, Korra couldn't help but glance back at Mako every once in awhile. He looked like he was boxing against the air. Korra noticed a few moves the looked unmistakably like bending forms. She was amazed that he was able to use water, earth, and fire bending movements and make them flow together. Korra herself wasn't even that fluid when blending the different elements. He looked focused and intense. Despite not being able to bend, Korra could tell that he would still be a challenge in a fight.

She was having a hard time understanding his place in all of this. She didn't quite get where he fit in. He acted like the team leader despite not even being on the team. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it was just odd to Korra that he took on so much responsibility. Seeing as they had no parents, Mako has obviously been pulling all of the weight between himself and Bolin. Korra couldn't stop thinking about it. She has had the White Lotus Sentries and the Air Acolytes taking care of her every need. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to walk in Mako's shoes.

Korra glanced back another time and saw that Mako was walking towards them. She quickly looked away, hoping he didn't notice her staring.

"Hey Bo!" Mako called, "I think I'm going to turn in. I'll see ya upstairs."

He gave Kai and Korra a quick nod each, then walked away and out of the gym.

"Upstairs? You guys live here?" Korra asked when Mako was out of range.

"Yep," Bolin confirmed, "In the attic. It's nothing fancy, but we've got some great views. So! Back to bending! A lot of teams like to combo their Earthbender and Waterbender…"

Korra started thinking about Mako again. What she had just heard explained why Butakha took so much money from him. No wonder he needed to win the championship tournament, if it cost that much money to live in an attic in Republic City. While Bolin and Kai kept explaining different plays to her, Korra contemplated her role in Republic City. How could she, as the Avatar, help people like Mako and that homeless guy in the park and even that crabby revolutionist who hates benders. How was she supposed to bring balance to the world if she didn't even know how to bring balance to Republic City?

**A/N: I have exciting news! I tried lychee berries for the first time and they are very good. I was pretty stoked because they always drink lychee juice in the show. Hope you like the chapters so far because there are plenty more to come.**

**So something I always thought was interesting was the scene where Katara isn't able to restore Korra's bending, and the first place that Korra goes is to the edge of a cliff. Did she go there so that when her bending was restored there would be a convenient source of water? To me, it always seemed like she was contemplating suicide. Not to be morbid or anything. Let me know what you think! As always, thanks for reading!**


	5. Five: Emotional Rollercoaster

Mako was bitter. He instinctively climbed the stairs to the attic of the pro-bending arena while thinking about all of the horrible things that he could do to Butakha. Things that he didn't need _bending _in orderto do. Even after an hour's intense workout - an hour of imagining that he was beating the business man - Mako still felt the anger welling inside of himself. Every single time Mako encountered that man he treated Mako as if he weren't even in the room. As if Mako was not fit - too inferior - to be allowed to be "graced" by Butakha's presence. Butakha only ever interacted with Mako when it came to the Fire Ferret's finances. (Butakha learned quickly after the brothers moved in that Bolin was not the responsible one.) And Mako knew why. It was because he was a non-bender. And his and Bolin's futures now depended on forking over thirty-thousand to the man.

When he climbed the last step and entered his apartment, Mako couldn't sit down. He had too much anxious energy to get out. He began by pacing back and forth, thinking. _How could he get the money for that asshole Butakha? Was there anyone he could borrow from? Would he have to go back to Lightning Bolt Zolt? Would Zolt even help him if he did? Could Korra get some money somehow? She was the freaking Avatar, for Koh's sake! She should be able to get something done!_ Eventually, the pacing wasn't enough. Mako was too restless. So he quickly jotted down a note for Bolin saying that he was leaving and ran back down the stairs two at a time.

Mako started off fast-walking down the streets of Republic City, hoping not to draw unwanted attention to himself. After a few minutes he let that go and began running. He was trying to release his rage in the form of speed, but it just kept building up. Mako _never _let his emotions take hold of him like they were. He took pride in being calm, cool, and collected at all times. Emotions, to Mako, were weakness. Giving into anger, hopelessness and self-pity were all destructive. But at that moment, he felt as though walls were closing in on him. His thinking was beginning to shift; Old fears and that Mako thought he had buried deep inside of himself were resurfacing. Mako began to slow down, his previous, anger-fueled energy disappearing. Images of Bolin, starving and cold out on the streets of Republic City, filled his mind. What if Mako failed to get the money? If they had to drop out of the tournament, Butakha wouldn't have any reason to help Bolin. He would kick them out. He and Bolin would be back on the streets with no money coming in, and Mako couldn't stand to see Bolin in that situation ever again.

Mako stopped and leaned up against the nearest building. He began deep-breathing. He felt like he could not get enough air in his lungs. His mind was spinning and he felt as though the world was caving in. He dropped to his knees, feeling light headed. Mako might have passed out right there on the sidewalk if he hadn't looked up and seen a sign that made him catch his breath: _Help Wanted_.

* * *

"Come one, come all!" Bolin called as men and women passed by him thoughtlessly.

The young Earthbender was stationed underneath Firelord Zuko's memorial statue wearing a flashy jacket and large fake mustache. He had dressed Pabu in a lime green jacket and taught him a few circus tricks that Bolin knew would impress any passerby. Kai was leaning up against the fence surrounding the statue a few feet behind Bolin. He was enjoying the show.

"See Pabu the fantastic fire ferret as he crosses the Ladder of Peril," Bolin announced, gasped for effect, then finished, "Upside down!"

Bolin made a _psst_ noise to let Pabu know that that had been his queue. Pabu hopped off of the old tin can he was sitting on and crossed the mini latter using his front paws.

"Big finish, buddy. Stick the landing," Bolin encouraged.

Pabu ended his trick with a flip and landed on one front paw.

"Ta da!" Bolin announced, picking up the tin cup and holding it out to the public.

Someone threw in a single coin. Not one person even stopped to look at Bolin.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! You are too kind! Seriously, too kind! You can come back here and put money right in this-"

Bolin shook the can and lost his excitement when he realized that there was only the one coin in it.

"Okay, that's fine, that's fine," Bolin muttered to himself.

Kai approached Bolin from the back and laughed at his measly earnings.

"One yuan down, but only twenty-nine thousand nine-hundred ninty-nine to go," Kai said mockingly.

Bolin was about to respond when a shiny red Satomobile pulled up in front of them. The driver rolled down the window.

"Hey, Bolin. Is that you?"

"Oh, hey there, Shady Shin," Bolin responded sheepishly.

Shady Shin put his car in park and got out of the vehicle.

"Heard you're a big-time pro-bender player now. Not bad." Shin said.

"Uh, thanks," Bolin responded, scratching the back of his head and looking at the ground awkwardly.

Shady Shin looked up and saw Kai hovering over Bolin. "And who's this?"

"I'm, uh, Kai. I'm on Bolin's pro-bending team," Kai replied.

"Water or fire?" Shin asked instantly.

"Fire." Kai answered with a hint of pride in his voice.

A smile spread across Shin's face.

While Bolin couldn't keep eye contact with Shin, Kai was quite the opposite. He glared at Shin. Kai could tell that there was something off about this guy. Bolin had never mentioned the name Shady Shin before, and Bolin was acting weird. This guy obviously wasn't Bolin's buddy.

Shin got straight to the point: "So listen. I got an offer for ya. Lightning Bolt Zolt is lookin' to hire some extra muscle."

So Kai _was_ right to be weary. This guy was a gangster. Kai knew better than to get involved with the Triads. Kai also knew that Bolin and Mako had history with the Triple Threats. But they had told Kai that they had stopped working for them awhile ago, so hopefully Bolin knew better too.

"Uh, I don't know, Shin," Bolin said, "Mako told me to stay away from the Triple Threats."

"Pfuh, your brother ain't the boss of you," Shin said, annoyed. Who was that non-bending brat Mako to tell his brother what he could and couldn't do with his bending.

Shin dropped his momentary scowl for a sly grin: "It's just a little security work. Nothin' crooked."

Shady Shin reached into his pocket, took out a wad of cash, and then tossed it into Bolin's tin cup. Bolin stared at the money with wide eyes and gasped in awe.

"You game?" Shin asked.

Before Bolin could respond, Kai stepped in with, "Woah woah woah, Bolin. Think about this."

While Kai was impressed with the money, he also didn't trust this guy. That is, until he pulled out a second, even larger wad of cash and chucked it into Kai's hands.

"How 'bout now? You both game?"

Kai forgot everything about not trusting gangsters. The boys both nodded their heads with mouths agape, blinded by money, and followed Shady Shin back into his car.

After Mako finished up a full day's work he happily walked home, albeit a bit exhausted. He sloppily walked up each stair into the attic of the pro-bending arena. His arms lazily swung at his sides, the right weighed down slightly by a bag a food.

"Bo, I'm back! Picked up your favorite dumplings!" Mako called as he walked through the door. He was surprised when there wasn't an instant response. Bolin lived for food. Mako crossed the apartment to the couch sagged down on the couch.

"Hey, you'll never guess where I found some work. Kuang's! Made some decent money. They give good tips there."

Mako paused, again surprised by the quiet.

"Bolin? You here bro?"

Mako looked over his shoulder and studied Yue Bay. He figured out where Bolin must be if he wasn't at home.

"I bet the little lovebird is making a house call," Mako said to himself, "and I'll bet Kai is there too."

He chuckled at the thought then began to make his way to Air Temple Island.

**A/N: Well there is chapter five. Hope you enjoyed. It's straying just a tad now. I swear I only have one or two more chapters until I'm not following the original plot anymore. Thanks for reading as always and let me know how you feel about the story!**

**There's something that I have been thinking about. I love Asami, so don't get me wrong, but I think her character is a little too perfect. She is filty rich, yet not spoiled. She is gorgeous, yet not egotistical. She is a part of the elite society, yet has no issues with those of lower economical standing. Her mother was killed by a firebender, yet has no problem dating a firebender. She is girly yet can keep up with the pro-bending athletes via self defense training and can work a car like no other. The only negative thing she does in the show is get rightfully angry when she thinks that Mako is not being honest with her. I'm just saying that everyone has something wrong with them. **


	6. Six: The Search Begins

"Hello Sir, how may I help you?" a female guard asked Mako as he stepped off of the ferry and onto the Air Temple Island dock.

"I'm looking for Avatar Korra," Mako stated bluntly.

The guard shot him a look that said _You've got to be kidding me_.

"And you are…?" She asked with a bit of sass in her voice. The Order of the White Lotus guard could tell that this boy had poor social skills.

"Korra's teammate."

"And does this teammate have a name?"

Mako half wondered if the guard would swoon once she knew who Mako was. From what Korra had told him, all of the guards on the island were _major_ Pro-Bender fans. However, if this guard was a fan of the Fire Ferrets, she didn't show it.

"Mako."

"Ah. Of the Fire Ferrets," she stated simply, "She's training right now. If you'll follow the left-most path up the stairs and around the bison nursery, you'll find her."

"Thanks," Mako said and headed into the indicated direction.

When Mako's back was turned, the guard rolled her eyes. Who just walks up to Air Temple Island and demands to see the Avatar?

After getting lost once or twice, Mako found where Korra was training. She was in a big open courtyard, alone, dueling an imaginary partner. He was able to see her from quite a distance away, but she was so focused that she didn't see him. He took just a moment to admire her movements. Mako had never seen Airbending moves before Korra's first pro-bending match. The motions were graceful and light, like nothing he had ever seen before.

Korra finally noticed Mako standing a distance away. She stopped her forms and waved. He snapped out of his trance and continued his approach.

"Hey, Mako," Korra said, breathing heavily.

"You seen Bolin?" Mako asked immediately, forgoing the curtsey "hello". He wasn't there to chat with the Avatar.

"Nice to see you too," Korra responded sarcastically, "And no. I haven't seen him since practice. Think something's wrong?"

Mako winced to himself. If Bolin wasn't with Korra then he could have been anywhere in Republic City. If Mako didn't know where his little brother was, it usually meant that Bolin was in trouble.

"I don't know. Bolin has a knack for getting himself into stupid situations. See you later."

Mako began walking away.

"Wait. I could, uhh…help you look for him," Korra offered, taking after Mako.

"Nah, I got it," Mako responded, still walking away from the Avatar.

She grabbed him gently on the shoulder to stop him. With her usual confidence, Korra said, "Hey, cool guy, let me help you. We can take Naga."

The unusual name instantly provoked his curiosity. "Who's Naga?"

"My best friend. _And _a great tracker."

Korra burst into a run and headed towards the bison nursery. Mako was given no other choice but to follow.

They ran all the way down to the nursery and entered a giant kennel right next to the bison's tower. Inside was a gigantic white fluffy monster.

"This," Korra motioned to the creature, "is Naga."

This was definitely not what Mako has been expecting.

"Your best friend is a…polar bear-dog. Somehow that makes perfect sense."

A wide grin spread across Korra's face.

"I'll take that as a compliment, city boy."

Mako wanted to laugh. He had never seen anyone look as happy as Korra did at that moment. She was beaming with pride over her companion. As if to return the favor, Naga bent down and gave Korra a big, sloppy lick on the face. Korra began laughing at that point, and Mako couldn't resist the urge any longer. He began laughing with her. The feeling felt almost foreign to him. Sure, Mako laughed at some of Bolin's jokes or when Kai would mess up in practice and end up face-to-the-floor. But this kind of laughter felt different. Mako just felt good. Better than he had felt in a long time.

When the laughter died out, Korra saddled Naga up and mounted her. She motioned for him to climb up behind her. He copied exactly how Korra had gotten up there. He didn't want to fall and make a fool of himself.

"Alright, First time riders hold on tight. Let's go, Naga!"

Naga burst forward with more speed than Mako had expected. He scrambled to grab onto the saddle before he fell off. With his arms behind him, he found a secure position and stuck with it for the duration of the ride.

Korra, Mako, and Naga approached the giant statue of Firelord Zuko at the Central City Station. Mako and Korra dismounted Naga and began scanning the area.

"Well this is his usual hangout…" Mako stated. They didn't see Bolin anywhere. Just as Mako was about to give up and try somewhere else, he saw a familiar child run through his field of vision.

"Hey, Skoochy! You guys seen my brother 'round here today?" Mako asked the boy.

Skoocky stopped playing and turned to face Mako. Sure, he had seen Bolin awhile ago. But he would never just _tell_ Mako that. Skoocky knew how to milk information for all it was worth.

"Maybe. My memories a little…_foggy_. Maybe you could help _clear it up_," Skoochy said, holding out his hand.

"You're good Skoochy. A real pro," Mako said, pulling out a bill. He slapped it into Skoochy's hand. Only when the boy had securely stashed the money in his pocket did he begin talking.

"Yeah, I seen him," Skoochy whispered as if it were top secret information.

"When?" Mako was just relieved to know he had a lead on his brother.

"'Bout noon."

"What was he doing?"

"He was performing some kind of monkey-rat circus with that Firebender kid. And then…" Skoochy held out his hand for another bill.

Mako rolled his eyes and gave him another yuan.

"And then what? Why did they leave?" Mako asked.

Skoochy began speaking very quickly: "Shady Shin showed up and flashed some serious cash. Bolin and the Firebender took off with him in his hotrod. The Triple Threats? The Red Monsoons? The Agni Kais? All the triads are musclin' up for something real big. Now that's all your getting' outta me!"

Skoochy ran away to rejoin his friends.

When he was gone, Korra asked, "What's he talking about?"

Mako's voice became extremely serious. "Sounds like there's a turf war brewing. And Bolin and Kai are about to get right in the middle of it."

Mako ran to Naga and got on her back, motioning for Korra to join him.

"So where are we headed now?" Korra questioned.

Mako gave Korra directions to where they needed to head. Korra grabbed hold of Naga's reins and guided her to their destination. Mako had technically answered her question. She knew where in the city they were heading to. But Korra didn't know what was going to be at this location. She wanted more information. After several minutes of hoping Mako would start to explain, Korra broke the silence.

"So where _exactly_ are we headed?"

Mako let out a sigh.

"To the Triple Threat Triad's headquarters. Hopefully Bolin and Kai are there and nothing's gone down yet."

Korra let that process for a moment.

"The Triple Threat Triad? I beat up some of those yahoos when I got into town. Why would the guys get tangled up with-"

She was cut off when Naga suddenly veered off course. Mako almost fell off the back of the polar-bear dog.

"Woah, Naga!" Korra yelled, trying to get control over her companion.

Mako looked ahead and saw that Naga was chasing something. That something was red and fuzzy and looked an awful lot like…

"That's Pabu!" Mako shouted when he was finally able to recognize the creature. He started to feel a little nauseous. Bolin and Pabu were inseparable. Bolin was in trouble. He knew it.

Pabu climbed up a light post to escape Naga's drooling mouth. Korra yanked back on her polar-bear dog's reins, making the animal stop.

"No, Naga," she stated, "Pabu's a friend, not a snack."

The polar-bear dog understood her ownerand backed off. When Pabu saw that Naga was no longer a threat, he stretched out toward her to get a good whiff. Naga and Pabu took a moment to sniff each other before Pabu hopped off the light post and onto Mako's shoulders.

Mako was getting anxious. "We gotta hurry."

**A/N: So Book 2 of LOK **_**finally**_** aired. I've seriously been raving about it for weeks. I don't know about you guys, but I am SO STOKED to learn about the very first Avatar. I also can't wait for The Search Part 3 to come out. I think that is next month.**

** Okay, so something I have been thinking about: The Airbenders were nomads, right? So that means they, of all the nations, would be most likely to be away from home (aka the air temples) at any given time. The fire nation invaded the four air temples and used Sozin's comet to wipe out all of the Airbenders, except for Aang who had ran away. This implies that every single Airbender in the entire world was at an air temple at that time. Them being nomads, doesn't that sound a little odd? It would be like Firebenders going to the north and south poles and wiping out all the Waterbenders. But the Waterbenders wouldn't be extinct. There are the swamp benders in the Earth Kingdom. Hama lived in the Fire Nation. In The Search Part 2, we met another Waterbender living in the Fire Nation. Am I crazy? Or should Aang not be the last Airbender?**


End file.
